Screw-propeller



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

G. B. WATTLES.

SCREW PRQPELLER.

No.' 484,382, Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

j N fw (NoModel.) SISheets-Sheet 2. O. B. WATTLES. SCREW PROPELLER.`

No. 484,382. Patented Oct. l1, 1892.

M w. LN Lw +1 M 0 $8@ w m, N\/. Y l f mmrrwlw n, w EL v Tal ,l f ,5. m H m h. wK. H MN. \MN .fl @N T ,am ,SAQ .QW .N M m E n m wk, MK, MH HIIIII, -nwmy Wmmm mw fT I1 NM. u .w m M S .SN 1 E ,YN N EN m J W l (No Model.) 3 Sheets-fSheet 3.

C. B. WATTLES. SCREW PROPBLLBR.

'N0.484,382. Patented 001511,1892. 'I

f INVENTOH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRA B. VATTLES,`OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE DAIMLER MOTOR COMPANY, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

SCREW-PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,382, dated October 11, 1892. Application filed Mach 29,1892. serial No. 426,953. (No model.)

.To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.- propeller-shaft, which is provided at its rear Be it known that I, CYRA B. WATTLES, a end with a ring-shaped enlargement or bearcitizen of the United States, and a resident of ing A', having a transverse opening d and au the city of Elizabeth, in the county of Union interior annular recess a of larger size than 55 5 and State of New Jersey, have invented certhe opening a, as shown clearly in Fig. 1l.

tain new and useful Improvements in Screw- The flanges 0.2, that are formed on the ring- Propellers, of which the following is a specifishaped enlargement or bearing A at both cation. sides of the interior annular recess a', are pro- This invention relates to certain improvevided with radial recesses CL3, through which 6o Io ments in screw-propellers of that class in radial lugs b, that are arranged on short axles which the blades can be set to different anor-shanks b' at the inner or hub ends B of gles onto the propeller-shaft, so that the vessel the blades B, are passed, so as to enter into can be propelled, stopped, or reversed Without t-he interior annular cavity a2 and form a reversing or stopping the engine; and the inkind of bayonet-lock with the ring-shaped en- 65 15 vention consists, primarily, of a screw-propellargement A when the hubs are turned on ler the blades of which are supported in bearthe axis. The shank b at the inner end of ings at the outer end of the shaft and which the propeller-blade B lits into the opening a are set by the axial motion imparted to atuof the ring-shaped enlargement A,while lugs bular sleeve arranged on the propeller-shaft b on the shank b extend into the annular 7o zo without changing the direction of motion of cavity d2 of the ring-shaped enlargement A', said shaft, and, secondarily, of means by as shown clearly in Fig. 11. The hubs B of which the shiftable sleeve on .the propellerthe blades B are provided with pins b2, which shaft and the adjustable propeller-blades are are cast integral with the hubs and which firmly and positively locked in position after are engaged by longitudinal recesses d of the 75 2 5 the adjustment of the blade is accomplished. enlarged rear end Dl of an actuating-sleeve My invention consists, further, of certain D, that extends over the propeller-shaft A. details in the construction of the locking de- The enlarged rear end D of the sleeve D exvice bywhich the actuating-sleeve located on tends nearly to the middle portion of the the propeller-shaft is locked or released, as ring-shaped enlargement A and is beveled 8o 3o Willbe fully described hereinafter, and finally at its inner edge, so as to lit over the enlargepointed out in the claims. ment A and the hubs B', as shown clearly in In the accompanying drawings, Figure l Figs. 7 and 8. The enlarged end D' is furrepresents a side elevation, partly in section, ther provided with inclined notches or reof the operating-gear of my improved screwcesses d adjacent to each longitudinal recess 8 5 3 5 propeller with adjustable blades. Fig. 2 is a d, so as to permit the inner ends of the blades plan of Fig. l with some of the parts broken B to swing into said recesses until thefsides away. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of of the blades abut against the inclined edges the locking mechanism by which the actuatof said recesses d', as shown in Fig. 7. The ing sleeve of the propeller-blades is locked in outer corners of the sleeve D at the straight 9o 4o position. Fig. 4 is also asectional side elevasides of the recesses d are also beveled off at tion of the locking mechanism, taken at right the inner edges, so as to permit the inner angles to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical transends of the blades B to move clear of the verse section on line 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a same when they are adjusted from one angle verticaljtransverse section on line 6 6, Fig. 4; of inclination to another toward the shaft. 95 45 and Figs. 7 to l1 are details showing the con- The actuating-sleeve D extends through a nection of the adjustable propeller-blades stern-tube C,which is supported in the sternwith the rear end of the propeller-shaft and post O of the vessel, said stern-tube being the actuating-sleeve for the same. firmly secured by suitable thrust-rings to the l Similar letters of reference indicate the stern-post. roo 5o same parts. The sleeve D is preferably made of several Referring to the drawings,Arepresents the sections, one section terminating outside of the stern-tube C, while the second section terminates inside of the same and is connected by a coupling D2 with the third section of the sleeve, which again is connected with the fourth or innermost section, to the end of which is applied the mechanism for locking the sleeve D to the shaft A. The first or outermost section of the sleeve D is connected with the second section located in the sterntube by means of a dovetailed interlocking joint, while the third section and the innermost section of the sleeve D are connected by a similar joint, so that by the connection of' the coupling between the second and third sections the tubular sleeve D is made in the nature of one continuous tube, through all ofi" which the propeller-shaft A passes, so as to hold them in position. The inner end of the shaft A is coupled to the driving-shaft of a gas, petroleum, or other motor M, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

- To the inner end of the tubular sleeveD are pivoted lockingdogs E of bellcrank shape, the inner ends of which bear on the beveled face of a collar e en the propellershaft A, while the outer ends of the dogs press on the inner face of the bell-shaped end of a sliding sleeve E', which is guided on the main sleeve D and firmly pressed against the dogs E by means of a strong helical spring E2, which is interposed between the flanged rear end of the sleeve E and a fixed collar E3, that is rigidly secured to the sleeve D by means of set-screws e3. The flanged end of the sliding sleeve E is engaged. by a rin shaped collar e2, which is provided at diametrical points with pins f, that are engaged by the recessed ends of a fork f at the end of a fulcrumed lever F, as shown in Fig. 1. The outer end of the lever F is pivoted to a connecting-rod f2, which latter is again pivoted at its opposite end to a latch Lf, which is fulcrumed to the actuating-lever L This lever is connected by a pivot-rod f3 with a second lever F', which is fulcrumed, like the first lever, to a fixed point of support and provided at its opposite end with a fork f, that engages by its recessed ends diametrical pins f5 of a slide-ring f6 of T-shaped cross-section, said ring taking into an annular groove of a collar F2, that is guided on the sleeve D. The collar F2 is provided at diametrically-opposite points with parallel lugs g. to which are attached keys g by set-screws g2, said keys extending throughinclined slots g3 of the sleeve D into longitudinal keyways g4 of the shaft A, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

By shifting the collar F2 on the sleeve D by the lever L and its intermediate connection with the collar the sleeve D is shifted in axial direction on the propeller-shaft A, and thereby by the action of its enlarged rear end D on the pins b2 the propeller-blades B are turned on the propeller-shaft A, so as to set either to a backward angle of inclination or at right angles or to a forward angle of inclination to the shaft, according as the vessel is to be propelled forward or stopped or moved backward. Whenever, therefore, it is desired to change the position of the propellerblade either from a backward angle of inclination to the propeller-shaft to a forward angle of inclination, so that the motion of the propeller is reversed, or into an inter` The tubular sleeve D is thereby free to be axially shifted on the propellershaft A, which is accomplished by holding the latch L or the leverL and continuing the motion of the lever and latch inthe direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1. diate mechanism between the leverL and the grooved collar F2 the shifting of the tubular sleeve D is produced, and consequently the reversing or adjusting of the blades by the action of the enlarged rear end D of the sleeve on the projecting pins of the inner ends or hubs of the blades B. As soon as the adjustment or reversing of the propeller-blades is accomplished, the latch L is dropped and the bell-shaped sleeve E returned by its actuating-spring E2, so as to act on the dogs and produce thereby the positive lockingof the tubular sleeve D to the shaft A, while the le` ver L remains in the position to which it has been adjusted until it is moved back again for producing another adjusting action on the propeller-blades. When the return mot-ion of the lever L has to be accomplished, the latch L has to be moved up to the lever, so as to release the locking mechanism between the bell-shaped sleeve E and the collar e on the propeller-shaft, which release must always precede any adjusting motion that is to be imparted to the propeller-blades, as without the release of the locking mechanism the blades could not be adjusted or reversed.

Whenever it is desired to slacken speed or to stop the motion of the vessel without slackening or stopping the motion of the engine, the blades are set into an intermediate position between the extreme positions, so that theypresent a smaller angle of inclination to the shafts or midway between the extreme positions, in which position the blades extend at right angles to the shaft and exert no propelling action on the vessel, as both blades move in a plane at right angles to the propeller-shaft. In this manner means are provided by which not only themotion of the vessel can be quickly reversed, but by which the motion of the vessel can also be slackcned or entirely interrupted without interferring in the least with the motion of the motor-engine, which continues to run in one and the same direction and which imparts the same' motion to the propeller-shaft independently of the propeller-blades and the means employed for adjusting the same.

IOC

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The propeller is thereby especially adapted for the use of explosion-engines-such as gas or petroleum engines-Which are used for small pleasure-boats and the like, in which it is preferable to run the machine in a continuous direction Without reversing or stopping the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a propeller-shaft provided with bearings at its rear or outer end, of propeller-blades the hubs of which are supported in said bearings, an actuatingsleeve extending over the shaft, provided with an enlarged end extending partially over the hub of the propeller, means for axially turning said sleeve independently of the motion of the shaft, and means by which the sleeve is connected with the hubs of the blades, so as to adjust the same to different angles of inclination to the shaft without changing the direction of the motion of the shaft, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of apropeller-shaft provided with bearings at its rear end, propellerblades the hubs of Which are supported in the bearings of the shaft, an actuating-sleeve ex-V tending over the propeller-shaft, provided with an enlarged end extending partially over the hub of the propeller, locking mechanism for connecting the inner end of the sleeve With the shaft, and means for connecting the outer end of the sleeve with the hubs of the blades, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a propeller-shaft having a ring-shaped enlargement or bearing at its rear end, propeller-blades the hubs of which are supported in bearings of said enlargement, an actuating-sleeve having an enlarged rear end extending partly over the enlargement of the shaft and over the hubs, and means for connecting the enlarged end of the sleeve with the hubs of the blades, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a propeller-shaft having a ring-shaped enlargement or bearing at the rear end, said enlargement bein g provided with recessed iianges, propeller-blades having hubs with radial lugs for engaging the iianges of the enlargement, and an actuating-sleeve extending over the shaft and having an enlarged rear end provided with recesses for engaging, respectively, pins in the hubs of the shafts and the inner ends or Shanks of the blades, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a propeller-shaft A, a ring-shaped enlargement or bearing at the rear end of the shaft, said bearing having recessed iianges, propeller-blades the hubs of which are provided with Shanks having radial lugs, and an actuating-sleeve on the propellershaft, said sleeve having an enlarged rear end provided with recesses for engaging the pins in said hubs and the inner ends or Shanks of the blades, the inner edge of the rear end being beveled, so as to fit over the ring-shaped bearing of the shaft and over the hubs of the blades, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a propeller-shaft rotating in one direction, an actuating-sleeve on said shaft, a ring-shaped bearing at the rear end of the shaft, propeller-blades having hubs supported in the bearing of the shaft,

means for connecting the rear end rof the' sleeve With the hubs of the blades, al locking mechanism by which the inner end of the sleeve is locked to the propeller-shaft, means for releasing the locking mechanism, and means for shifting the sleeve axially on the shaft on the release of the locking mechanism, so as to adjust the propeller-blades independently of the motion of the propellershaft, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a propeller-shaft, a sleeve on said shaft, propeller-blades supported on bearings with rear end of the shaft, means for connecting the rear end of the sleeve with the blades, means for shifting the sleeve on the shaft, a locking mechanism connecting the inner end of the sleeve With the shaft, said locking mechanism being composed of a collar on the shaft, dogs pivoted to the sleeves, and a sliding and spring-actuated sleeve having a bell-shaped end engaging the dogs, and a lever mechanism adapted to engage the sliding sleeve, so as to apply its bell-shaped end to or release it from the dogs, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a propeller-shaft, a sleeve extending over said shaft, a fixed tapering collar on the shaft near the inner end ot' the sleeve, bell-crank-shaped dogs pivoted to the inner end of the shaft, a sliding sleeve having a bell-shaped end for engaging the dogs, a fixed collar on the main sleeve, a helical spring interposed between the sliding sleeve and the collar, and a lever mechanism applied to sliding sleeve for applying the same to or releasing it from the locking-dogs, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

OYRA B. WATTLES.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, CHARLES SCHROEDER. 

